Box delivery device



, 1933. E. G. GRIFFITH BOX DELIVERY DEVICE April l1 Filed Dec. 26

Patented Apr. 11, 1933 naar. G. GRIFFITH, on HUNTINGTON PARK, GALIFQRNIA,

BOX DELIVERY DEVICE Application led December 26, 1931.A Serial No. 583,199.`

My invention relates to the art of article handling and `more particularly to devices for delivering boxes one by one to a given station in timed relation with another means for removing said boxes from said station.

Many devices of the Vgeneral nature above referred to have been devised in the past, but none `of these is proof against breaking'the boxes or upsetting these, and it is an important object of my invention to provide a box delivery device which eliminates the faults mentioned. l

Mostof the damage done toboxes by box delivery devices at present in general use, re-

sult from non-positive feeding of a box to a power driven conveying means. Thus if the non-positive mechanism slips on the box for some reason or another, the boxwill not be properly positioned for engagement by the positive conveying means andthe result will be a brokenv box or a broken deliverydevice.

It is another object of my invention to` provide a box delivery device which positively feeds boxes one ata time to a delivery station but which is proof against improper positioning of boxes to be acted upon by the positive feed means. l

The manner of accomplishing the forego- Ving objects, as well as further objects and advantages, will be made manifest in the following description taken in .connection with the accompanying drawing, 1n which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a preferred embodiment of a delivery device of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1 taken in the direction of the arrow 2.

. Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sectional views taken respectively on the lines 3-3 and 4 4 of Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawing, a preferred embodiment of my invention 1s seen in a box delivering device 10 which receives boxes from a conveyer 11 and delivers these one at a time to a box elevator 12.

The delivery device 10 includes a frame 15, including legs 16, 17, 18, 19,- 20 and 21. Connecting the le s 16, 17 and 18 is an upper longitudinal rame member 23, while a lower frame member 24 connects the legs 16 and 17. Connecting the legs 19 'andf20and disposed opposite the members 2 3 and 24 are longitudinal frame members y25 ,and 26. Connecting upper ends Vof the legs`16 and19 55 is a transverse frame member 2 8. `Disposed beneath members 27 and 28, and connecting the same pairs of legs respectively, are transverse frame members 29 and 30. The members 29 and 30 support a longitudinal angle '60 iron 32 by its oppositer ends.

Supported on the legs 18 and 21 and the transverse frame member 28 is a U-jshaped Y frame 35 which, with the longitudinal frame member 23, supports rotatably a pairbf .idle 65 rollers 36.A Also supported .on the transverse member 28 and U-shaped frame 35 is a guard bar 38 having stops 39 and 40 at its oppositel ends. The upper ends of the legs 19-and 20 project above the longitudinal member 26 "70 Y l and supporta guide member 45. f

n An adjacent end of the vconveyeri11 is adapted to be supported onthe cross frame member 27, this conveyer being shownas an r ordinary gravity conveyer having a 'guard 46 on one side and a guard47 on the other, the latter having its forward end vsupported on the upper end of theV post 19. j

Supported at their opposite ends ontrans- Y verse frame members 27 and '28 is a pair 'of longitudinal frame members 49 and.50. Pivotally supported in horizontal positionyby their opposite ends on the horizontal, longitudinal frame members 23 and 50 is a power driven roller and an idle roller 56. The 85 roller 55 has'a suitable sprocket at one end thereof by which it is adapted to be driven.v i Disposed longitudinally between the iframe members 25 and 49 is an idle roller 58 which 'is supported at its opposite endsV onthesel frame members. Alsojpivotally mountedbetween frame members 25 and 4 9 is a short roller y59 with its axis disposed transversely. The lrollersii, 55, 56, 58 and5`9fare preferably all on the same level, or,at'leastsubstan 95 tially in the 'same plane'. i' Y 'J ournalled in suitablebearings mounted von longitudinal frame members 25 and 50 is Y a short rshaft havinga sprocket 66 fixed on its outer end and asprocket 67 fixed there- V on between the longitudinal frame members 49 and 50, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Journalled in suitable bearings provided on the opposite ends of the'frame members 25 and 50 from the shaft 65 is a short shaft 69 having a sprocket 70. Trained around the sprockets k67 and 70 is a chain 71 which is preferably provided 'with box pushingY rollers 75,"'these rollers'being disposed on diametrically opposite portions of said'chain.

Swingably mounted in "brackets 77 pro.- vided on the inner face of the longitudinal frame member 23 are upright arms *78' and.` 79 .of a box pusher 80. Rotatably mounted between the .arms 7 8'and'79 is a horizontal roller 81. Mounted on a vertical axis on the upperfend of the arm 78 isa fiat roller 85.v

Connecting .upper endsl ofthe arms 78 "and 79 isabar 87 which is connectedV by vva'spring .88 toA a'finger 89 fixed upon the longitudinal vframe,nien'iber 23, for a purpose which will befmade manifest hereinafter. Connecting vlower ends of thearms 78 and 79 is a shaft carryingrollers 91. @Disposed longitudinally within the frame 15 and journalled in suitable bearings provided on the transverse frame members 29 and 30 is a cam shaft 95 carrying a clutch yf9.6an'd a pair'of cams 97, the* cams 97 being disposed opposite the rollers 91, which are maintained in contact with these cams the spring 88. The shaft is'adapted'f to turn inthe direction of the arrow', 98 to 'swing'the box pusher 80 from itsgfull line position as shown in Fig. 3 toits dotted line position therein, and then Vpermit a quick return to thel full line position. v

Theclutch 96 is of the single revolution 4type and includes a cylindrical outer shell y100 which rotates idly on the shaft 95 and 'isprovided'with a VbevelY ring.` gear 101 for drivingv the shell 100. Formed on the inner surface of the shell 100 is a driving notch 103. Keyed,v onto the shaft 95 and disposed within the shell'100 isa driven hub member 105 having a dog 106 which is spring urged outwardly 'into contact with the inner surface of the shell 100 so that when released the dog 106 engages the notch 103 as soon as this is rotated opposite this dog, further rotation of theshell 100 beingimparted to the shaft 95 as long as the dog 106 remains in the notch 103.

bJournalled vertically in a suitable bearing .110','iprovided `on the inner surface of the longitudinal framemember 23, as shown in Fig.l 4, is a clutchcontrol shaft 111 having a ,box contacting arm 112 at .its upper end and a clutch actuating arm 113 at its lower end. Also there is a'spring 114 wound about the shaft 111, this 4being'connected with the 4frame Y15and the shaft so Vas to continually urgel the clutch .actuating arm 113 into such a position that whenever the hub is ro- Htate'd'so als -to bring the dog 106 upwardly,

this dog engages the arm 113 and is de-V pressed out of the. notch 103, thereby causingV upwardly into engagement with the interior `face Iof the cylindricalaclutch shell 100.

Extending transversely of the frame 15 and journalledin a suitable bearing fixed on the longitudinal frame member 32,y and a bearing121'mounted on an vexternal standard 122, isa drive shaft 125 having sprocketsl26, 127 and 128, and a,I bevelV pinionV 129, tlielatfter meshing withthe bevel ring 'gear f 101 of the clutchV 96. The sprocket'127is connected to the sprocket 66b'ya Vchain 130, whilethe vsprocket 128 is connectedtol the sprocket of' the driven-roller .55' by Va 'chain 131.

, -The structure of the 'delivery deviceflll having thus been completely described, it is noted that the elevator 12 is merely diagrammatically shown f herein, and comprises" /a shaft carrying a sprocket'1415whichcooperates with a similar sprocket (not-shown) ywhich is disposed thereabove, yto ,support a chain 142 carrying boxl carriages ,145.'l The box carriages Y1,45v 'each have a pair of. arms '146 and the path o'ffthechafin 142V is such'that the arms 146'passupwardly on opposite sides of theqUA-,shaped frainef,35'so, that whenever a box V1s 'disposed over this frame and. supported on the rollers36thereof, 'it' is lifted upwardly'byfa carriage 145 passing this frame Also provided on the shaft,Y 140 isa sprocket 150 which* is connected 'by y'a chain- 1512` through Va sprocket 126'; on the shaft125 so that this 'l shaft is 1', driven in timed A Arelation with the elevator 12. The ratio ofthisdrive 1s such that the shell 100 ofthe'clutch V9K6 Ais `given a lsingle rotation'during'each interval g betweenthe'pa'ssage of successive box carv-mages/ pastthe Ushaped/f'rame 35.

The operation'of *my invention is follows: ,Y 'l v lissumingthatv the elevator 12 is-` continuously driven at a constant'rate of speed, lthe shaft 125 is of coursedriven in a like manner.

' Owing toy 1the" 'spring 1121 rotating the shaft 111 so as to keep the" arm'1'1'3'fin'positio'n to beengaged by the clutch vdog1( )6,'tl ie" clutch i 96 is normally' disconnected'and thebo'x izo pusher 80 remains in its upward positionas y "shown in full ylilies lin" thefdrawing.` Boxes are fed from the `jconineyerfll to; thebox y,de-

livery 'devi'ce 10 regularly' kor i ntermittently` as the 'casenay be, but these boxes arenever positively fed to thel deliver'devicebutar'e preferably fed by gravity 'or by la' "yieldable power driven conveyenj The boxes, v.of

`-course, aref fed 'in' sequence land. the foremost box, when it comes in contact with the roller 55 which rotates continuously, is drawn into the device, rolling upon the idle rollers 56 until it reaches the position indicated by the dotted line 200 in Fig. 2, this position being hereinafter referred to as Vthe timing station.

`When a box moves into the timing station it necessarily engages the arm 112 and swings' the shaft 111 so as to disengage the arm 113 from the clutch dog 106. After this response to the positioning of the box in the timing station, the box remains in this station until the notch 103 comes around into engagement with the dog 106, whereupon the pusher 80 is depressed into its dotted line position and pushes the box from the timing station over the chain 71 onto the roller 58 and into the path of the roller 7 5 which is coming up into position to engage this box. This roller 7 5 then engages the box disposed over the chain 71, and propels this box in the direction traveled by the chain until the box arrives against the stop 40, as shown in full line in Figs. 1 and 2, this position being hereinafter referred to asthe delivery station.

The chain 71 runs continually in timed relation with the elevator 12, and at such a speed that any box propelled as just described by one of the rollers 75 into the delivery station arrives at this station just in time to be lifted by one of the box carriages 145 of the elevator 12 It is to be understood, of course, that while I prefer the positive feed as embodied in the cha-in 7l, the use of a plurality of power driven rollers beneath the boxes in the delivery device which would propel each box to the delivery station just as soon as this box has been pushed clear of the stop 39, might be substituted in place of the positive feed means.

One of the special advantages of my invention is the impossibility of shifting any box towards the chain 71 in the path of a feed roller 75 excepting during those intervals when these rollers are disposed away from over the chain 71 so that a box may be properly fed into position over this chain. Furthermore, whenever a box is thus fed over the chain 71 there is no obstruction possible to prevent it being properly fed directly to the delivery device 10, and the operation of the device continues as above described.

While the position of the box in the path of the elevator carriages 145 is herein referred to as the delivery station, the position of the box as it is fed into the path of one of the rollers 7 5 might also be considered as the delivery station.

What I claim is I In combination: means forming a delivery station; means for removing boxes from said delivery station one by one; a continuously operating feed means for delivering boxes' positively to said delivery station, said feed means operating in timely relation 'with said box removing means; means for conveying a series of boxes one by one to a, timing station which is outside the path of said positive feed 

